Act of terror
Beatrice thought that in her long life, she was prepared for pretty much anything. That thought was never challenged for centuries. Until tonight. Fighting against Flauros in such a tight space that was halfway leading to the conference room was far from her ideal spot. She was by no means a close combat fighter, nor even one that did well on the ground, so for now, the blonde angel was focused on evading upcoming strikes. Even without transforming, Flauros’s fists were making holes in the floor and walls. Beatrice tried to use her bow as a mean to get some distance, but the demon was quickly closing in any gap she could create. And when she felt three other auras skyrocket, she knew she had to hurry and help others. Especially when she heard Alice’s terrified scream coming from below.
So far, she was mostly blocking hits with her bow, though upon seeing the first cracks arise, she knew she had to change plans quickly. Ducking under Flauros’s fist, Beatrice grabbed it, gave it her all, and used the demon’s weight against him, slamming him into the nearest wall. The blonde-haired angel immediately used this occasion to back off and draw her arrows. As Flauros turned to face her, a spear-sized white arrow pierced his shoulder, pinning him to the wall. Another one struck him in the chest, staining his black suit further with blood. The demon thrashed around, trying to break himself free. He stopped another upcoming arrow with his own arm while trying to pull off the white spears.
A powerful burst of aura came from Flauros, causing Beatrice to shield herself with her wings from all of the debris and chunks of broken wall that had been sent her way. The man in the suit was no more. In his place stood a beast that could barely fit into the already tight halfway. Now, with his massive and fur-covered body, he blocked the only way out, pinning her between him and one more demon that seemed to wait patiently in the conference room. The spear-like arrows that pinned him down were now nothing more than an annoyance that stood out like a sore thumb on the dark-brown fur.
Flauros opened his mouth, smoke blaring from his nostrils, and spewed fire right at Beatrice. The blonde angel once again used her wings as a shield, along with casting a rather brittle barrier spell, which she hoped would be enough to diminish the damage done by the fiery breath. Being occupied with keeping the barrier in one piece, Beatrice had no time to turn around as the doors to the conference room flung open. She only felt a sharp pain as a ghostly blade punctured her shoulder. Both her barricade and Flauros' breath stopped.
“I cannot say that I am glad to see you there, angel.” Trying to focus on the healing, Beatrice took a look at the demon behind her. Berith came out with blood staining his sword. The mangled bodies left in the room behind him were more than enough to tell her what had happened. “However, it would seem that you are not back to your usual self, isn’t that right?” Even behind the silver helmet, the devilish smirk that he had was more than obvious. The black dragon had not specified that they should leave her alive too. Meaning her fate was up to their choice. And they were resentful demons.
The situation downstairs was in no better state. Alraune, now transformed, had most of the room under her control. Thorns, roots, and vines covered every wall and floor, and their mistress sat in the very middle, the makeshift throne covering her entirely from the waist down, along with blooming roses coming from her skin and hair. Clementine, clad in her black armor, stood in front of pale as a ghost Alice, keeping her safe from the onslaught of roots and thorns that came their way. In the past, she used to boast about how there was nothing that her axe couldn’t cut; however, these roots didn’t give up so easily, and each that wasn’t cleaved in half regrew back to full. The black knight thought about using flames to cleanse the room and weaken the fiend that stood against them; however, she quickly discarded that idea as it could put whatever guest that remained alive as well as the half-angel in danger.
The half-angel in question tried her best to catch a breath. Her eyes darted from a corpse to corpse, each glance only worsening her state. She couldn’t even stand up, as her legs gave up on her. Those people died because of her. And she couldn’t do anything with it. The half-angel snapped back to her senses right as a deflected vine struck the ground near her. As strong as Clementine could have been, Tetra was stronger. The red-haired demon slowly started getting pushed back, the onslaught of thorns and roots proving to be too much even for her.
“Oi, go call that yer succubus! We might need her help ‘ere!” Clementine said as she dove and shielded Alice from an upcoming vine that sprouted from behind the still-dazed half-angel. It bounced off from her armor, though it took a sizable chunk of it with itself. Before the red-eyed demon could recover, another tentacle-like vine was about to strike her. With a bright shine of light, the vine was stopped dead in its tracks by a long, yellow spectral spear that came from the ground. Alraune smirked upon seeing the small figure of the half-angel stand up.
“Finally decided to take action?” The demon herself stood up, the base of the throne shifting and wiggling as roots and vines moved like tentacles.
“I won’t let you kill anyone anymore!” Alice summoned four ghostly arrows, which she hurled in the direction of the demon. Alraune shielded herself with one massive thorn, leaving herself open to a fiery arc sent by Clementine.
“Go now! I’ll take her on.” The black knight proclaimed as the demon’s furious glaze fell on her. Alice made her way towards the barricaded doors. Swinging Rosary overhead, the half-angel released a wave of red energy that weakened the roots and gave her enough time to get out of the building.
Outside, Lilim was having no easier time than the rest. Adramelech made quick work of the remaining units, and having fought with her before, he knew to keep her at a distance. Jumping all over the place, the peacock was hurling his feathers right at the succubus, who couldn’t defend herself against all of them, earning herself a bunch of cuts that further agitated her.
Lilim even casted a bunch of fiery walls that burned a bunch of feathers coming her way, though randomly setting ground on fire could end in a disaster; hence, she tried to reduce the usage of her flames to a minimum. Adramelech used that to taunt her a bunch of times, appearing right before her, throwing one or two feathers, and backing off, only to repeat the process.
“Have you gotten rusty since our last meeting?” The voice, full of itself, came from above the succubus. The green peacock was sitting on the black roof like some sort of gargoyle, with his eyes focused on the black-haired demon. He threw another feather at her, which Lilim deflected with Prince. “I could have sworn you were much more troublesome back then.” Adramelech jumped down and was about to slash Lilim’s face with his claws; however, the black blade stopped him. The peacock grabbed it and threw it away along with the succubus. The succubus crashed against one of the pillars. Adramelech once again vanished from her sight. Dammit all, fighting him one on one was tougher than she would have liked. And she really could do without the ringing headache right now.
Lilim’s head snapped back once she heard the doors open and saw a familiar ginger stand in the doorway. Alice immediately stopped in her tracks upon seeing the carnage that happened outside. Corpses and blue flames everywhere. The half-angel subconsciously dug her nails into her arm as her eyes darted from left to right.
“Al, put on your armor, now!” Lilim screamed at her. A green feather grazed her cheek, the wound covering her pale skin in scarlet blood. “Bastard!” The succubus swung Prince, releasing a wave of blue flame. From the laughter that echoed through the night, the hit didn’t connect. Alice stood still. She couldn’t. There was no way she could put on her armor. It would happen again. She was a coward.
"Al, come on, don’t just stand there!” Noticing the state in which the green-eyed half-angel was in, Lilim ran up to her. “Hey, what’s wron-shit.” The succubus got her answer once she saw what happened inside. It was an all-out slaughter, with the only two remaining alive being Clementine and still agitated and occupied Alraune.
“Ho, so I see the rest weren’t sitting idle for once.” Adramelech appeared right before them. Lilim dove and took Alice with her, just as a bunch of sharp feathers struck the ground behind both girls. The succubus responded with another wave of blue flame, which was followed by a yellow spear coming from the ground, catching the peacock off guard and grazing him. “Learned a new trick, I see. Too bad, it won’t be enough.”
Lilim rushed at the demon, her swings getting parried by Adramelech. She covered Prince in a blue flame, which caused the peacock to back off, but not before casting his spell. Four massive and colorful peacock feathers arose from the ground, encircling the succubus. They started glowing and closed in on the demon, trapping her inside.
“The main annoyance is out; now for the rest.” The peacock vanished from Alice’s vision. Appearing right behind her, the half-angel just barely blocked the upcoming claws with Rosary, the force of the strike sending her skipping backwards. “Oi Alraune, stop playing with that buffoon and let’s end this quickly!” He called out to the female demon, who was busy trying to get a hit on Clementine. Without having to be wary about Alice’s safety, the red-eyed demon could go all out, using the entire room as an arena and setting the roots and vines on fire.
The tentacle-like roots ravaged the whole place, puncturing walls, floor and even the ceiling, and yet they still couldn’t strike Clementine down. After covering her axe’s head with crimson fire, none of them stood a chance, and the fire that remained on them stopped the roots from regrowing. Adramelech couldn’t believe that this demon could last so long against Alraune. Just who was this black knight? Perhaps he should go help her out, seeing how Berith and Flauros apparently still had their hands occupied. “Oh no, you won’t.” Adramelech spun around and threw his feathers right at Alice, who used the distraction to try and free the succubus from the featherly prison. All five feathers struck her in the shoulder, making her yelp in pain. Too bad the dragon has forbidden them from killing those pests, and even worse, beating them too much. Though, just how much was too much? Could a missing arm or leg still pass? Perhaps it was time to find out.
Alice stood by the cocoon made of feathers, Rosary pointed right at the smirking peacock. He ripped another of his feathers from the tail, ready to throw them at the half-angel. A rumbling noise coming from the upper floor made him stop and look up. Not even a second later, a cloud of dust and bricks rained down on them, both combatants having to shield themselves from all of the debris that fell. Along with all of it, something white was thrown out of the hole, smashing right against the walkway. It was shortly followed by something much bigger. When the dust cleared and Alice heard Adramelech laugh, her eyes widened.
“BEATRICE!” Alice screamed at the motionless and beaten-up blonde woman, who was overshadowed by Flauros, seemingly looking proud of his work. The mighty demon picked her up right when the blonde angel stood up and flung her right at the half-angel. Alice barely had time to catch her when Clementine rushed out of the building, with a livid Alraune chasing her and breaking the entrance in the process. The black knight stood defensively in front of the two and the cocoon as the three demons regrouped.
“I’ll keep ‘em at bay. Ya have to get the succubus out.” Clementine ordered while eyeing the trio. Alraune roots dug themselves into the ground, and the remaining two just stood there as if waiting for something. Alice nodded just as she helped Beatrice stand up, giving her a shoulder. Just as roots sprung from the ground beneath them and feathers were thrown their way, Clementine casted a wall of crimson fire that scorched everything that came in contact with it.
“You seem like a well-trained knight.” A voice came from the upper floor. Berith stood in the hole in all of his glory, glancing at the black knight. “Such a shame you have chosen to ally yourself with them. We could use someone of your might in our ranks.” The leader of the group jumped down and swung his sword. It released a powerful wave of energy that immediately extinguished the wall of fire.
“I don’t ally myself with dishonorable fiends.” Clementine shot back, sending an arc of crimson flame that was swiftly stopped by a stone wall created by Flauros. The massive demon opened his mouth, with fire spitting out of it. Before it could breathe flame at the black knight, a spear-sized arrow struck his skull, causing him to flinch. “Ya two stay in the back.” The black knight ordered, seeing how Beatrice was drawing another arrow and Alice was lodging Rosary in between the massive feathers, trying to break Lilim free.
The black knight rushed at Tetra. Clementine swung her axe at Adramelech, who sidestepped her strikes, only to have his way out cut off by a wall of crimson flame that also kept Berith at bay. Alraune tried to strike her down with her roots; however, a rain of spear-like arrows kept pinning her roots down, making it easier for Clementine to burn them down. Flauros, in the meantime, charged at the two angels, but three glowing arrows that struck the ground before him exploded right as he was by them, causing him to stop in his tracks.
The red-eyed demon danced around the thorn mistress, making sure to cut down any roots and vines she sent her way. Adramelech tried to trap her the same as Lilim; however, with Alraune in the way, it seemed to be a fool’s errand. In that case, he had to keep distracting her with his feathers, hoping that the black knight would buy the bait. So far, only Berith has taken a step back from the fight, simply observing from the back row. He wondered how long they would have to wait for their guest to do his part.
Alice felt the massive green feathers heat up significantly. When the half-angel saw sparks of blue flame escape through the small breach she managed to do in the meantime, she grabbed Beatrice and jumped away just as the feathery prison exploded with a pillar of blue flame that illuminated the night.
“Alright you fucks, it’s four on four again.” Lilim called out. Her eyes shone brightly, and the Prince was coated in a blue flame. “Oi, black knight, I hope you won’t mind if I help you out.”
“Nay, in fact, I would appreciate that.” Clementine said as she dodged Flauros’s fist. While in the air, Alraune roots caught her by her leg and threw her in the direction of the trio. She crashed against the ground and retaliated by sending an arc of crimson fire that was dodged by Tetra. The black knight wasted no time and rushed back into the action.
“As for you.” Lilim turned to face Beatrice before joining the fray. “You think you will be able to help us from above? Could use arrows raining down from the sky.”
“If you will buy me a while. Just a minute or two at most.”
“Great, Al, you stay with Beatrice. I don’t want to put you in harm's way.”
“But you two can’t fight them alone! I-”
“Neither can you.”
“Still, protecting Znena is my task. I can’t stand idle and do nothing.”
“Alice, you won’t.” Beatrice chipped in, her wounds slowly vanishing. “But I beg you, stand in the backline with me. We will provide our support that way.” Alice found it of no use to try and argue with them. And worst of all, they were right. Hell, she couldn’t do much against Adramelech. But she had to do something. Those people back there died because of her, and she wouldn’t stand for it. She felt Beatrice put her hand on her shoulder.
“Alice, I know you want to keep Znena safe. And we are here to help you with it.” The ginger turned to face the angel. Even despite the blood that stained her face, her smile still carried its usual motherly warmth. Alice couldn’t help but nod.
“Right, I’ll help from a distance.” This time, she turned to look Lilim right in the eyes. “But if anything happens to you, then I won’t forgive you.”
“I’ll make sure to keep that in mind.” The succubus replied as a small smirk creeped onto her lips.
“Oi gals! Time for chit-chat’s over!” Clementine called out while dodging an array of glowing feathers that exploded upon contact with the ground, as well as fireballs spat out of Flauros’s mouth that were hurled her way. Alraune took a backseat along with Berith, focusing purely on regrowing her missing roots. That was the most the black knight was capable of doing. But just dodging the upcoming attacks as well as kiting Tetra with arcs of flames seemed more than enough to agitate them, focusing their attention purely on herself. Sensing a powerful burst of aura from behind her, Clementine jumped away just as a wave of blue flame came surging, swallowing the green peacock. Adramelech screamed in pain as he jumped out of the wave, the feathers of his tail badly burned.
“Right, sorry to keep you waiting.” Beatrice had already taken off into the air as Lilim approached the red-haired demon. Having both of their weapons coated in their respective flames, the duo caused the two approaching demons to have a second thought about attacking them head-on. Flauros might have been the shield of Tetra, but even the greatest shield had its breaking point, and Adramelech wasn’t a brawler by any means, seeing as he served more as a distraction. What worried the two demons was the fact that Berith was way too idle. And for someone who gave Beatrice trouble, it couldn’t mean anything good.
A low, humming sound echoed through the area. A neigh of a horse soon followed it, and a burst of powerful aura caused both sides to back off. Tetra quickly made their way behind the fiery curtain with smirks on their faces. Before Purgatorio could react, a wave of powerful energy was sent their way, putting off the fiery curtains, cracking the walls of nearby buildings, shattering windows, and sending chunks of the street and pavement their way as it surged at the four girls. Beatrice was quick to act and swiftly casted her barricade spell, which shattered upon contact with the wave, and dove down to shield Alice just as Lilim and Clementine dug their weapons into the ground as the wave crashed against them. The four were sent flying into a nearby wall. Both demons quickly found their footing but stopped still as soon as they spotted Berith.
His form was completely changed. In size now, it rivaled Flauros, and it for sure looked to be much more massive. The knightly armor was gone, replaced with a much bulkier one created out of many heavy plates linked together with long and thick chains. His gauntlets turned into claws, and the shoulderguards became like coats of blades. Berith’s helmet became much more demonic, with a visor resembling a mouth full of sharp, knife-sized teeth and with two lengthy horns coming from the sides. Even his steed changed, also becoming bulkier, and its armor plates now resembling chunks of stone, as well as gaining a crescent horn in the middle of its forehead. Berith swung his weapon, which changed from a simple sword to a three meters long, beautifully decorated lance, and casted a spell. Three enormous silver orbs appeared behind him and went high into the air. While in it, they formed a triangle, and soon after, a curtain of pure energy formed between them, cutting off Purgatorio from any outside help.
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“My oh my dear, I never thought I would see that side of you again.” Alraune said as she approached the silver knight.
"Hmph, it took you long enough.” Adramelech added as he eyed their opponents. The problematic ones didn’t seem to be keen on attacking them, and the archeress was trying to calm the ginger down. The poor kid probably never felt such an aura in her entire life. Though he couldn’t exactly blame her. Even for them, it was rather suffocating.
Lilim, he stopped playing, and we should too.
I am not letting you out.
And I am not asking about your consent. If you want to save that angel of yours, you will have to rely on me. I can tell that he is far above any demons we have faced before.
So what? I’ll take him down like any other!
“It is time to show you what a general is capable of!” Berith called as his steed charged at Purgatorio.
At the same time, Znena’s lakeside remained oblivious to the carnage that was happening and instead coated itself deeply in the darkness and silence of the night. One demon in particular was enjoying the tranquility of it, sitting at the small beach near the lake. Sadza’s silhouette reflected against the still surface of the lake. His single, yellow eye gazed mindlessly into the night sky. For some reason, he found himself unable to leave Znena for good. Instead, he kept on staying in its forests while occasionally coming to less populated areas. Why did he do this? He couldn’t say himself. Perhaps he hoped that he would get any answers by staying there, but so far, he has gotten none. And maybe he hoped that someone could give his life a purpose? If only…
Hearing rustling in the bushes behind him, Sadza quickly stood up and turned around. His eye fell upon a silhouette of a dragon, observing him from the treeline. Dragon’s own eyes seemed to stare right into his, and soon after, the unexpected guest approached the demon. Not knowing his intentions, he conjured a fireball in his right hand and was more than ready to throw it. As the dragon stepped onto the beach, he seemed genuinely surprised by his actions.
“Ahh, rest easy my friend. I didn’t mean to startle you.” Friend? Did he know him? No, even as of now, he could tell that. He would have remembered such a demon. “That being said, you seem troubled. Is there any way we could help you?” We? Just then, Sadza noticed a cloud of smoke following the dragon. While still unsure of what they wanted from him, he allowed the fireball to vanish. There was no need to get hostile from the get-go.
“Well then, what burdens your mind, hmm?” Sadza wasn’t really sure if he should open up to the dragon. After all, Simon taught him to never talk with strangers. Speaking of which, he hasn’t seen him in a long time. Though the dragon did call himself a friend. “Now, now, don’t be shy. I know being lost is a tough spot one can find themselves in.” Sadza’s eye widened.
“How did you know?” In response, he got a laugh coming from the dragon. Did he say anything funny?
“So you can speak. Forgive me for reacting that way; however, it was quite easy to tell. And besides, I haven’t seen you around before.”
“I’ve tried to remain…hidden.” The demon broke eye contact just as the dragon flashed him a smile with a row of sharp teeth.
“And why would you do so? Anyone trying to hurt you? Or have you done something you regret?” The black dragon approached him even further and now stood somewhat uncomfortably close to the one-eyed demon.
“The problem is…I don’t even know why I am hiding. I don’t know pretty much anything, and that bothers me.” Before Sadza even knew it, he ended up spilling everything that lay on his mind to the black dragon, who in turn remained silent and simply listened to whatever the demon was rambling about.
“Oh dear, that is truly quite a problem you are facing.” The black dragon closed his eyes and scratched his chin as if to try to think of any solution to it. “However, I think I know its root.” That got Sadza curious. That meant that he would be able to help him, right?
“You are trying to run away from what you were born to do.” Did he? This thought never entered his mind, because why would it? How could he run away from something that was still unknown to him? This didn’t make any sense to him. However, maybe the dragon was right in that regard. He seemed wiser than the demon could ever say about himself. “Your strength is extraordinary. Back in my youthful days, demons like you were a common occurrence, but nowadays? You could become an elite. Think about this boy; don’t let your talent go to waste.”
“So you say all I am good for is killing?” Sadza chuckled lightly, his eye trailing down, not wanting to make eye contact with the older demon. “Of course, that would be my luck. And you say that’s my talent. But what if I don’t want to do that? Could I then let such talent go to waste?”
“It would be a shame then. Like I said, not many are willingly using their strength nowadays in such peaceful times.” The black dragon put his clawed hand on Sadza’s shoulder. A second later, the one-eyed demon felt a sharp pain in his chest. His gaze fell on the sand below. A pool of blood started forming at his feet. His vision started to darken as he saw the black, scaly hand piercing his chest. The last thing he saw was a diabolical smile on the dragon’s face. “Fortunately for me, I know a demon who would make use of your strength.” Sadza’s body set itself ablaze. Right when the glowing orb was about to vanish high into the clouds, Abbadon’s misty body encircled it and seemed to absorb it. With a bright flash, Abbadon stood in front of the dragon with a form resembling his own, however much skinnier.
“Should this be enough for you for now, my dear little Abbadon?” Abbadon nodded silently as he was inspecting his new form. “Very well then; it’s time for us to finish our little escapade.” The black dragon and Abbadon spread out their wings and took off into the air, making their way towards the rest of their comrades.
Purgatorio were giving their best against Tetra; however, it seemed like with Berith using his full strength, the best they could do was try to last them out. Lilim and Beatrice were soaring through the air, one showering the four demons with spear-sized arrows and the other with waves of blue flame. Clementine kept jumping from one opponent to another, wounding them with her axe. One slice and jump, one and jump. Alraune’s tentacles were furiously chasing after her, crashing into the walls, the ground, and even nearly into her companions. Flauros was trying to strike down the blue-eyed succubus, only to find himself failing at that as Lilim moved out of his reach and blocked his flame with her own. Berith and Adramelech were kept at bay from the rest by both of the angels, who, by combining their ranged spells, were more than capable of staying at a safe distance.
Despite the fight being rather even for now, Purgatorio knew that it wouldn’t be the case in the long run. They were growing tired. Casting so many spells and dodging, as well as taking so many attacks in such a short amount of time, took its toll on their bodies. Bloodied and beaten from before, they were slowly giving up. The wounds on both demons and Beatrice were healing slower and slower; Alice went sickly pale from all of the spells she had to cast; as well Clementine’s armor was getting more and more damaged. Who could tell how long it could keep up with the onslaught of the fiends? Especially when he and Alraune switched targets, seeing how their respective opponents were giving them trouble. Her black armor had a harder time taking blows from Flauros, as all of the still chasing her roots, and the occasional volley of feathers from Adramelech were constantly distracting her.
Berith charged at the half-angel. At the last second, Beatrice dove down and scooped her up, his lance grazing the blonde angel’s leg. Alice commanded four ghostly spears to fly down at the knight; however, they crashed against his armor, visibly not even leaving as much as a scratch on it. The knight threw his lance at them. The blonde angel dodged, and the weapon returned to its owner, only to be thrown again. Lilim sent a curtain of blue flames their way as a means to shield them from it. This, however, left her open for Adramelech’s trick. He grabbed one of Alraune's roots, using it to propel himself high, right above the succubus. Before the black-haired demon could move out of the way of the peacock, his claws dug deep into her shoulder. Wasting no time, he used his free hand and slashed right at her eyes, blinding her temporarily, jumping down before the succubus could strike him down with her katana. Alraune then wrapped her vines around the blinded succubus’s leg and smashed her against the concrete until a pool of blood started forming around her head.
Noticing this, Flauros slammed his fist against Clementine, sending her into a nearby wall, and made his way towards the unconscious succubus. The black knight quickly got back on her legs and rushed in their direction, blocking the demon’s fist with her axe. The sheer force of it caused the axe’s head to crack. Clementine picked up Lilim and ran towards the two angels. Her way was cut off by a wall of vines, thorns, and massive feathers. Clementine cursed under her helmet. Three on one was far from her ideal. Still, she hoped that Lilim would wake up soon.
Beatrice and Alice, in the meantime, were trying their best to tire out Berith. It was clear that he couldn’t keep this form for too long, the main indicator being the fact how idle he was being. The question was just how long would it take. The blonde angel’s arrows became useless against his bulky armor, and Alice’s spells didn’t seem to have much effect either. At least by staying in the air, they were somewhat safe from Berith’s attacks. However, they needed to finish this fast and go help Clementine. Even now, Beatrice has shot a bunch of arrows at the other three demons, keeping them at bay. Just as she shot another volley, Berith struck his lance into the ground. A roaring sound echoed in the sky, accompanied by a bright silver light. Beatrice turned around to see a seal forming in the clouds. The blonde angel couldn’t even as much as twitch when a massive lance made of said silver light tore off her wing. Beatrice fell to the ground and, in a last ditch attempt, turned to her back, making it so Alice would land on her and not on the concrete.
Berith already stood over them as both angels made sure that they were fine. His lance was just barely parried away by the Rosary. The strength behind the blow nearly destroyed the spear, and Alice had to give her all in order to withstand the strike. The second one, however, swifter and even more powerful, swatted her away, sending the younger girl flying against the wall. Crashing against it, she heard a snap of bones and slumped against the wall of the burned Culture Hall. The half-angel tried to grab Rosary and use it to help her stand up, but her right arm felt numb, and she could barely move it. Her green eyes widened as the silver lance pierced Beatrice's stomach, keeping her pinned down to the ground. In a flash of bright light, Alice’s body got covered in her armor. Still as badly cracked as before, the half-angel slowly stood up, gripping Rosary in her left hand. The cracks emanated light as Alice struck Rosary’s blade into the ground. Just as Berith twisted his lance and Beatrice gritted her teeth in order to stop the scream of pain, the ground below them shone in a blinding light. Enormous golden spears arose from the spot, scratching and chipping away the demon’s armor while missing the angel. The silver knight turned to face the half-angel. Alice pulled out the spear, and with a slight horizontal swipe, two more spears followed, further damaging Berith’s armor.
“So you can put up a fight, brat.” Berith retrieved his lance. Beatrice quickly rolled over, putting her hand over the still-leaking wound. Though her eyes were purely focused on Alice. The damaged armor worried her. It shouldn’t have looked like that; it always managed to repair itself. And the light… could it be true then that she was discovering her angelic form? “And that spell…It’s hers, is it? Has Anastasia taught you it? Even after all of those years, she still remains a pain in the ass.”
“My mom…what have you done to her?” Alice’s voice was unnaturally cold. She was looking Berith straight in the eyes, the smirk behind his helmet more than agitating.
“Who knows?”
“What have you done?!” The half-angel did an overhead swing with Rosary, releasing a wave of furiously red energy. Berith dodged it, and the wave left a sizable hole in the ground.
“Let’s see how long you can keep up the bravado.”
Clementine, in the meantime, was buying time for Lilim to wake up. Additionally, she hoped that the rest of Tetra would grow exhausted, but it looked to be the exact opposite. Alraune’s roots and vines only grew in tenacity, and Flauros, along with Adramelech, were quick to follow her every step. And fighting with the unconscious succubus in one hand didn’t do her any favors. Right now, she was blocking blows from Adramelech, who used her current circumstances to score a bunch of lucky hits, his claws leaving deep scratches on her black armor. As the red-eyed demon was about to jump away from the green peacock, a root wrapped itself around her waist, keeping her still in place. Adramelech made way for charging Flauros.
Before the giant fist could connect with the black knight, it exploded with a burst of sapphire flame. Flauros backed off, roaring in pain as he tried to put out the fire that had consumed his entire hand and was making its way up his arm. Clementine felt a strong arm dig itself into her shoulder. Black and sharp claws coming from a hand completely covered in black feathers were making it more than clear for Clementine to let Lilim go. And the sapphire eyes that gazed upon her from the mess of black hair and still-flowing blood that covered half of her face surely did not encourage her to keep holding the succubus. With a swift motion of the hand, the black-haired demon turned the wall of thorns and vines that kept them from the rest into ash, the sapphire flame illuminating the night.
“You.” The chilling voice of Lilim, along with the eyes that kept on staring at her, made Clementine’s skin crawl on her back. “You can let go now.” The black knight swiftly released the succubus from her grasp. Lilim calmly glanced at the trio that was now wary, keeping its distance from them, and seemed to judge the current situation. And honestly, Clementine couldn’t fault them for staying at bay. The aura that emanated from Lilim was bone-chilling. Turning around, the succubus noticed the exchange of blows between the half-angel and the silver knight.
“Huh, so the half-ling decided to finally make herself useful.” Lilim commented upon seeing the golden and blue armor. From the looks of it, she was simply giving the blonde angel time to heal, though at the very least she managed to put some dents in Berith’s armor. “I guess I should go help her.” Lilim added, and black wings sprouted out of her back. She took off, but not before setting a grand curtain of sapphire flame between Clementine and the rest of Tetra. In a blink of an eye, she found herself right above Berith. Swinging Prince, the wave of sapphire flame scorched his armor, and his own swing with the lance was blocked by the still-ablaze black katana. Berith had to move back when a bunch of golden spears arose from the ground.
“I see you too have decided to finally use your strength to the fullest.” Berith commended her as he examined the damage done by the flame. Black, scorched spots stained his beautiful silver armor. “Mayhaps you would reconsider joining our ranks?” Lilim didn’t respond; instead, she sent another wave at the knight. Berith’s lance got coated in a violet glow. Swinging in vertically, he released an arc of violet energy that split the upcoming wave in two, keeping him safe. The succubus once again kept silent and sent a bunch of fiery tongues towards Berith. Once they got close enough, the tongues exploded, sparks of sapphire fire sticking themselves to the knight. Lilim also sent them towards the remaining members of Tetra, giving Clementine a chance to return to them.
“Lilim, are you alright?” Alice asked as she finally got close to the blue-eyed demon. The wound on her head had already closed, but the blood on her face stayed. The half-angel’s eyes, however, drifted towards her arm, now completely coated in black feathers. The succubus gave her a short lasting glance and responded with a scoff.
“I genuinely cannot see what she sees in you.” Lilim added nonchalantly under her breath.
“Huh?”
“Never mind, just help me get rid of those bastards.” Alice was about to say something, but upon noticing Beatrice trying to stand up using her bow, she rushed off to give her a shoulder. The succubus ignored her and went to face Tetra alone. Perhaps that would be even better. At least she won’t get in the way. Again vanishing from everyone’s sight, Lilim appeared above Flauros. Digging her blade into his eye, the succubus smiled as the beast roared in pain. She effortlessly dodged his massive hand, and thorns sent her way by Alraune. She rushed at the mistress of thorns. Cutting and burning the vines away, she found herself right in front of the demon. Her swing, however, has been parried by Berith, who, with another forceful strike, forced Lilim to back off slightly, simultaneously dodging glowing feathers thrown by Adramelech.
“Arrogant, are you? To attack a maiden right in front of her knight.” Berith called her out while casting a spell. A silver lance fell from the sky, and Lilim just narrowly dodged being impaled by it.
“You said you are a general, so come, show what you can do!” Lilim struck Prince right into the ground. The black katana exploded into a staggering pillar of sapphire flame. Caught in the blast, Berith pushed away his comrades and gritted his teeth, taking on the blow. The sapphire pillar was swift enough to scorch his armor. The fiery pillar was spitting out mad tongues of blue, raining down upon the entire area sealed off by the barrier. Seeing the street turn sapphire, Lilim laughed. She didn’t care if the flame befell upon her foes or allies. As long as they burned, it was good enough for her. From inside the pillar, a white glow emanated. The blue-eyed demon didn’t have time to react as two seals formed right before her. One aimed at the black blade, while the other went for her shoulder. The force behind the ghostly lance that impaled her sent the succubus flying and easily ripped Prince off the ground, stopping the sapphire pillar. The sapphire left an enormous crater in the ground, with scorched and heavily breathing Berith standing in the very middle of it. Alraune was swift to create a wall between him and the rest as small, livid green vines themselves around his body, emanating a radiant greenish glow and heat and slowly getting rid of his burns.
Not wanting to give him any more time to recover, Lilim picked up Prince with her normal hand, and as it got coated in the sapphire blade, she pointed it in the direction of the wall. Her now sapphire eyes widened as she found herself unable to shoot out the wave of flames. Her whole hand started shaking as the blade turned against her.
“Stop! What are you doing?! I’ll end them here and now! Cease this at once you moron!” Lilim roared, causing the approaching half-angel to flinch and stop in her tracks. The succubus grabbed her normal arm with the clawed one, the razor-sharp claws digging deep into it and drawing blood. Her efforts were futile as Prince pierced her clawed hand. Screaming in pain, she fell to her knees as the sapphire flame started consuming the black feathers. “You absolute fool! Do you want to get us killed?!” Lilim’s eyes returned to their normal shades of blue as the flames vanished. Keeping still for a while, she wavered, threatening to fall flat on her face. At the last second, Alice caught her.
“Lilim? Hey, come on, what’s wrong?” The green-eyed angel called out, averting her eyes from the succubus’s arm, which was becoming bloodier and bloodier with each passing second. Lilim was panting heavily as her sweat-covered face finally met the half-angel’s helmet. Even despite the visor, she could see the worried look in her eyes. Though it was hard to tell as the image became hazier with each passing second. The most she could make off were the colors of golden and blue, as well as the brightly shining light coming from the armor.
“I’m…fine.” Lilim managed to breathe out, though she was more than sure that Alice wasn’t buying that; hell, she herself wasn’t buying that. Before the half-angel could respond, a sound of broken glass resonated through the area. The curtain of energy shattered into myriads of tiny pieces, alerting everyone present. Tetra was quick to catch on that this was their sign to finally back off.
Something orange started appearing in the clouds. At first, there were only a bunch of them, but swiftly, they multiplied into hundreds, if not even thousands. They quickly came down, proudly presenting their forms. A small, orange, fiery-like serpents with small wings were wiggling their way through the air. They were coming and going everywhere. Dumbfounded Alice and Lilim simply stared at the bizarre creatures as they started digging themselves into the ground and walls, leaving orange spots in the places they had burrowed themselves in. In less than a minute at best, they had covered the majority of the district.
It was until the first one exploded, shaking the foundations of the Culture Hall, that Alice let out a terrified scream and pulled Lilim away, just in time as another bunch of explosions followed. The next few seconds were chaotic. Fire, buildings rumbling, dust, and debris falling. Alice felt many bricks and chunks of buildings hit her back as she shielded the wounded succubus. Her armor seemed to fail her as it started to crumble itself, just as the climax of explosions happened. Being blown away by the sheer force of it, both girls embraced each other tightly. They felt some strong arms catch them, and in the chaos of flames and dust, they saw a pair of beautiful white wings shielding them all from all of the madness. For what seemed like an eternity, the explosions finally stopped. Once the dust had settled in, Alice felt close to fainting. She stared in shock, not wanting to believe what her eyes were showing her. The half-angel heard people talking, screaming, drowned out in the blasts of car alarms, and approaching sirens; however, she couldn’t focus on any of them. She was taking sharp and shallow breaths, harshly gripping her arms, and her nails were drawing blood. She didn’t feel the painful wounds that the explosions caused nor the cold rain that hit her skin, as if trying to help put out the fire. Her eyes were focused on a sight she never thought she would ever see in her whole life.
The entire district was wiped off the face of the earth with just a single spell.